Integrating and Comparing Optimization Methods for Cost-Efficient Reverse Supply Chain Design
Li M. Mukhanova G. Maffei A. Begentayev M. Csiszárik-Kocsir Á. Amralinova B.
2025Budapest Tech Polytechnical Institution
Acta Polytechnica Hungarica
2025#22Issue 5319 - 339 pp.
The reverse supply chain (RSC) plays a critical role in industrial waste management by ensuring efficient waste collection, transportation, and recycling. A key aspect of RSC optimization involves determining the most cost-effective location for waste collection centers. This study evaluates three facility location optimization methods ‒ Center of Gravity (CoG), Voronoi Diagrams, and k-Means Clustering ‒ to determine the most effective approach for waste collection center placement in Kazakhstan’s mining industry. Using geospatial data from 10 tailings dams, each method was applied to minimize transportation costs and optimize collection center locations. The findings reveal that the CoG method is the least effective, as it assumes a centralized facility, leading to longer travel distances and higher costs. The Voronoi method significantly reduces transportation distances by assigning mining sites to the nearest collection center but does not account for variations in waste generation. k-Means Clustering outperforms both methods, achieving the lowest transportation distance while maintaining a balanced distribution of waste across multiple facilities. The study highlights the advantages of multi-facility clustering techniques in RSC design, demonstrating that dynamic optimization approaches can significantly enhance cost efficiency and logistical feasibility in industrial waste management. These findings provide a basis for further research and practical implementation of data-driven facility location strategies in the mining sector.
Center of Gravity , Facility Location Optimization , k-Means Clustering , Mining Waste Management , Reverse Supply Chain , Voronoi Diagrams
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Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics, Satbayev University, 22 Satbayev, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan
Department of Production Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Brinellvägen 8, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
Management Board, Satbayev University, 22 Satbayev, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan
Obuda University, Keleti Károly Faculty of Business and Management, Becsi 96/B, Budpest, 1034, Hungary
Project Management Institute, Satbayev University, 22 Satbayev, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan
Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics
Department of Production Engineering
Management Board
Obuda University
Project Management Institute
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